Risers are used in offshore oil and gas well production for conveying well fluids from a subsea wellhead to a floating production platform. Tensioners are employed at the platform to apply tension to the risers. A typical tensioner comprises a telescoping piston and cylinder arrangement supplied with gas pressure from accumulators. Waves and currents cause the piston and cylinder to extend and retract. Hydraulic fluid within the chamber provides lubrication.
In one type, the piston component comprises a barrel that slidingly engages the cylinder or other barrel. Each barrel has a closed end and an open end, the open ends being in fluid communication with each other. The interiors of the barrels serve as the chamber for receiving gas pressure. By combining the interior of each barrel, the volume of the chamber may be sufficient to eliminate external accumulators or at least reduce the amount of external accumulators. A larger internal volume improvises the cylinder stiffness versus stroke characteristics. Provisions must be made, however, for lubrication of the primary seals, and the hydraulic fluid reduces the amount of volume that can be filled with gas.